Green efforts stepped up on the world's highest peak

More measures are taken to protect Qomolangma, the world’s highest peak – or Mount Everest, as it is known in the West

It has been nearly a century since the first recorded efforts to reach the summit of the world’s highest peak, Qomolangma, which is known in the West as Mount Everest.

The first successful ascent of the mountain, from the South Face in Nepal, was made by a British expeditionary team in 1953. The desire to scale Qomolangma never dies. However, human activities have had a negative effect in the area in recent decades.

Authorities in the Tibet autonomous region have been striving to tackle the problem of waste left at high altitudes. They announced recently that to reduce the environmental impact on Qomolangma, climbers will be allowed to enter the region only in the spring, and their number will be limited to about 300 every year, including mountaineers, guides and support teams.

To protect the environment, since December travellers have been banned from all areas above the Rongpo Monastery, which lies at an altitude of 16,900ft. But those with climbing permits are allowed to enter base camp in Tibet at 17,060ft.

Clean-up: since 2017 local authorities have organised large-scale activities to remove rubbish from high-altitude areas on QomolangmaCredit:
Provided to China Daily

Last year the Tibet Mountaineering Association welcomed 762 overseas visitors to climb the mountain, including 372 guides and logistics teams. Plans call for using funds collected from an annual service fee to carry out regular environmental protection work on Qomolangma.

The regional sports bureau has drafted a regulation aimed at improving rubbish management on the mountain and hopes it will take effect soon. Sonam, secretary of the Tibet Mountaineering Association, who only has one name, said: “Our focus is for the mountain to be climbed in a scientific and green way, ensuring safety.”

Awareness in China of environmentally protecting Qomolangma dates to the 1990s, he said. “People including mountaineers and local residents are more aware of the importance of environmental protection than they used to be. There are now many detailed measures to tackle waste in high-altitude areas of Qomolangma,” Sonam said.

In Tibet all mountaineers, guides and support staff members of climbing teams must each remove 18lb of waste to the campsite, which lies at 21,325ft. Sonam said it takes two days for yaks to carry the waste from the campsite to base camp.

It’s challenging to clean up waste at high altitudes, where just a small amount can be a great burden. Only professionals can enter areas above 21,325ftSonam

This means a round trip of about four days. Within the area there are 10 designated dump sites for people to place their waste, which are attended to every day by sanitation workers. When rubbish is transported to base camp, domestic waste is then taken by workers to a refuse processing plant. Waste related to mountaineering, such as used oxygen cylinders, tents and ropes, is recycled.

“When there are human activities, including mountaineering, there is rubbish,” Sonam said. “As people only eat high-energy food in high-altitude areas, human waste is only a small part of domestic waste. Mountaineers conscientiously observe green discipline, and they rarely drop litter on Qomolangma.”

Since 2017, local authorities have organised large-scale activities to remove rubbish from high-altitude areas on the mountain, including that at dump sites. The authorities said recently that toilets have been set up at the two campsites. Human waste was collected to provide fertilizer.

During three large-scale rubbish collection operations last year a total of 8.4 tonnes of household refuse, mountaineering and human waste was disposed of. This year there will be three such operations during the climbing season from April to early June, each one lasting at least a week.

They will be staged at the start, in the middle and at the end of the season. Authorities plan to offer training on environmental protection and related skills annually, to encourage more people to take part in green activities.

“It’s challenging to clean up waste at high altitudes, where just a small amount can be a great burden,” Sonam said. “Only professionals can enter areas above 21,325ft. There are situations such as a lack of oxygen and bad weather. Also, we have to use yaks to transport supplies in some high-altitude areas.”

The total cost per person to climb Qomolangma is about 400,000 yuan (£45,130) on average, he said. Many charges have risen over the years, such as guides’ wages and transport fees. This spring authorities in Tibet plan to remove the remains of climbers on Qomolangma that have lain exposed at an altitude of more than 26,245ft.

They will identify the bodies and contact families. The bodies will then be collected and buried at three sites away from the climbing routes, at above 26,245ft. The Ministry of Finance has promised to provide 4 million yuan to Tibetan authorities this year to remove climbers’ remains and clean up high-altitude areas.

Huang Chunyan, who reached the summit of Qomolangma from the North Face in China on a 54-day mission in 2017, said: “In my view, Qomolangma is very clean. You see hardly any waste along the climbing route.”

A recent online post had used unidentified photos to mislead internet users into thinking that Qomolangma is full of trash, she said. “Mountaineers respect and love nature, and most don’t litter. I carried my own waste down from the mountain. Common rubbish includes plastic bags and bottles. I also used special bags to collect my feces.”

Huang plans another trip to the mountain in May to join other volunteers in collecting rubbish at altitudes of 17,060ft to 21,325ft. “There are dump sites in the living areas. Our major task is to transport this waste manually and by using yaks. I am able to carry 44lb at the most.”

Safety rather than reaching the summit matters the most, she said. At an altitude of 27,890ft she was once hit by a small stone falling from above that bruised an eye. She was also shocked that an overseas mountaineer she had chatted with in the morning had died suddenly in the afternoon.

Huang also came across the bodies of climbers, and said she hoped that such remains could be buried properly in the future. “When you are climbing it’s a struggle between whether to give up or stick at it. You need to be strong-willed.”

Bao Yifei, an experienced mountain guide, said it is important to have a good system to transport waste from high altitudes and to introduce regulations for climbers to adhere to.

Bao said it is expensive to climb Qomolangma because material supplies are needed as well as a professional team, including porters, guides and cooks. “The more you spend the more help you will get. That’s why the cost can vary.”

This article was originally produced and published by China Daily. View the original article at chinadaily.com.cn